You are a colleague working on the shop floor in a Sainsbury’s store. Your Team Leader has asked you and your colleague to work in the pet-food section. You have 8 hours to put 400 cases of pet-food onto the shelves. You agree with your colleague to do 200 cases each. However, half way through the shift, your colleague thinks they are doing more work than you. The colleague tells you that they want you to do some of their cases.

What is the very best/worst course of action?

1)Explain to your colleague that it is fair that you each do 200 cases.
2)The workload is fair so ignore your colleague.
3)Swap with another colleague so they work with them instead.
4)Report the situation to your Team Leader immediately.

I went for 1) is best and 4) is worst

You are working on the shop floor at a Sainsbury's store. Today you are supporting a colleague on the kiosk, which sells tobacco, lottery tickets and cigarettes. You know that you should be aware of serving underage customers. It is late on a Friday evening and you are at the end of a long 8 hour shift. You are not certain that a customer is old enough to buy cigarettes and they have no ID to prove it.

What is the very best/worst course of action?

1)Explain to them why you are unable to sell them the product and that if they come back with ID then you would be happy to serve them.
2)Explain to them that they should bring their ID in future but you will serve them the cigarettes this time.
3)Explain to them that they should not try to buy cigarettes without ID.
4)Explain to them why you are unable to sell them the cigarettes today.

1) is best and 2) is worst I put

You are working in a Sainsbury's restaurant. One of your tasks is to make sure there are enough clean cups and plates. Your colleague, who is new, is working in the dishwashing area and doing the job well, but working very slowly. There are not many clean plates and cups left and this will mean that customers may have to wait longer for their food.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1)Explain to them why they need to clean the plates quicker showing them how best to do this.
2)Put someone else in there to help out.
3)Suggest that the colleague does a different job.
4)Let your Team Leader know that the colleague is working very slowly.

I put 1) is best and 2) is worst as youre wasting human resources?

You are supporting your colleagues on the checkouts at a Sainsbury’s store. As part of this role you try to encourage customers to reuse their bags. Sainsbury’s also offer a range of ‘freezer bags’ and ‘bags for life’ which customers can buy. Bags for life can be replaced if the customer returns one that is torn or broken A customer complains that their ‘bag for life’ is damaged.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1)Call your Team Leader to explain to the customer what they can do.
2)Apologise and offer them a replacement; remind them what a ‘bag for life’ means. 3)Apologise to the customer; explain they can get a replacement from the customer service desk.
4)Apologise and offer them a replacement; ensure that the damaged bag is recycled.

I put 4) as best and 1) as worst

You are working on the shop floor at a Sainsbury's store. A customer approaches you and hands you a broken vase that they found on the shelf. The customer explains to you that they would like to buy this type of vase that is not broken and asks if you can check for one in the warehouse. The customer also tells you that there is some broken glass on the floor by the vases.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1) Ask a colleague if they can clear the broken glass and whilst you find a good vase for the customer.
2)Tell the customer that you have no idea how it got broken.
3)Find a good vase for the customer and then clear the broken glass.
4)Tell the customer you will not charge them for breaking the vase.

I put 1) as best for safety/service and 2) is worst

You are working on a nightshift in a Sainsbury's store. Sometimes deliveries arrive at the store during the night. You are re-stocking the shelves in the General Merchandising department. Your Team Leader has asked you to re-stock the iPods, phones and cameras shelf. The box the iPods came in had already been opened. This is strange because stock should come in boxes that are closed.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1)Use the check list in the box to make sure all the iPods are there.
2)Continue to put the stock out and try to reach your replenishment target for the night.
3)Call the Team Leader to assess the situation.
4)Speak to the delivery colleagues when they come in next.

I put 1) is best and 4) as worst

You are working in the fruit and vegetable department of a Sainsbury's store. Your task today is to re-stock the fruit and vegetables which are running out. As you walk through the aisle you notice that there are no more bananas left on the shop floor. You check in the warehouse and find a crate of bananas which are very ripe. You check the colour of the bananas against a colour chart which helps you to decide whether they are ok to put onto the shop floor. You find that the bananas are just about ok.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1) Put the bananas out onto shop floor and keep an eye on how they are selling.
2)Put the bananas out for disposal.
3)Ask your Team Leader what you should do.
4)Move the bananas towards the front of the store so that they sell quickly.

I out 1) is best and 2) is worst as youre wasting resources

You are working on the shop floor at a Sainsbury's store. It is coming up to the Christmas holidays and the store is preparing for this busy period. When you pass the customer service desk you see a long queue of customers waiting. There is only one colleague dealing with the queuing customers. At the same time, there is a cashier at the kiosk which is close by.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1)Speak to the customers in the queue to see if you can deal with their queries.
2)Ask the cashier if they are able to help the customers waiting at the customer service desk.
3)Join your colleague at the customer service desk and help resolve the customer queries.
4)As there are not any Customer Service Assistants available; look around the store to see if there is another shop floor colleague who can support at the customer service desk.

I put 3) is best and 2) is worst, but im not sure

You are working on the shop floor at a Sainsbury's store. You are working in the General Merchandise ‘home and lifestyle’ department of a Sainsbury's store. It is a busy day during Christmas and there are many parents shopping with their children. In the toy section you see a child that is alone and looks lost. You notice the child starts playing with the toys on the shelves. You approach the child and they inform you that they do not know where their parents are.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1)Keep an eye on the child to make sure an adult picks them up.
2)Take the child to the customer service desk and make an announcement to try and find the child’s parent.
3) Let a Team Leader know about the child and wait with the child until they arrive. 4)Take the child to look for their parents.

I put 2) is best and 1) is worst

You are working on the shop floor at a Sainsbury's store. Today you are working in the General Merchandise department where there are many customers waiting to be served. Some customers would like information about electronic products and others just want to pay for the products they have chosen. In addition, the phone in the department is ringing.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1)Serve the customers who are waiting for you and then pick the phone up.
2)Ask for help on the General Merchandise department.
3)Pick up the phone; then see the customers.
4)Try and deal with the telephone query and the customers in front of you at the same time.

(Original post by Retail monkey)
I've made a fake account to practise and I've tried at least 20 times and failed every single one -- Please, I need help!

I've tried to be customer-orientated, but it's not enough - anyone who's passed it, can you help, please!

I realise this is very little help but I have done numerous tests like this for numerous companies, including Boots and Argos, and have failed every single one. They're so ridiculously selective and I honestly would much prefer to have an interview and be asked these questions to my face and me give the answer to what I would do rather than it being multiple choice. It's ridiculous.

I can see that from the answers you've given that at least 5 are wrong. Not only do you need to think of the customer you also need to think about the company. Also I see one question where you haven't even though of the customer, the phone ringing question.

I'm not going to tell you the answers because I feel that if you can't really answer them then you may need to look elsewhere. Also failing 20 times?

No one on here is going to do a test for you but I think a pretty glaring error is that you don't think one of the worst options is just choosing to ignore your colleague because you think that something is fair.

You are a colleague working on the shop floor in a Sainsbury’s store. Your Team Leader has asked you and your colleague to work in the pet-food section. You have 8 hours to put 400 cases of pet-food onto the shelves. You agree with your colleague to do 200 cases each. However, half way through the shift, your colleague thinks they are doing more work than you. The colleague tells you that they want you to do some of their cases.

What is the very best/worst course of action?

1) Explain to your colleague that it is fair that you each do 200 cases.
2) The workload is fair so ignore your colleague.
3) Swap with another colleague so they work with them instead.
4) Report the situation to your Team Leader immediately.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1) is best – I agree with u, bc it’s respectful but still not a pushover thing, and you’re handling it yourself,

3) is worst, because it doesn’t show any perseverance + you’ll have to find someone to do it so :/

You said 4) was worst, but I don’t think so cos then by taking it to a more elevated person, they can decide the appropriate action and they can say that you were in the right. Obviously, if they thought you were wrong, this could also look good because a) you’re not doing 1) when the other person was right all along, and b) if you had done 3), then you would have looked like a lazy/wuss tbh

================================ ================================ =========You are working on the shop floor at a Sainsbury's store. Today you are supporting a colleague on the kiosk, which sells tobacco, lottery tickets and cigarettes. You know that you should be aware of serving underage customers. It is late on a Friday evening and you are at the end of a long 8 hour shift. You are not certain that a customer is old enough to buy cigarettes and they have no ID to prove it.

What is the very best/worst course of action?

1) Explain to them why you are unable to sell them the product and that if they come back with ID then you would be happy to serve them.
2) Explain to them that they should bring their ID in future but you will serve them the cigarettes this time.
3) Explain to them that they should not try to buy cigarettes without ID.
4) Explain to them why you are unable to sell them the cigarettes today.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1) is best – again I agree, bcb you don’t sounds *lazy* but you’ve still explained it to them, and assured them the id is the only thing stopping them etc, yknow?

2) is worst – also I agree with this, because.. well… duh================================ ================================ =========You are working in a Sainsbury's restaurant. One of your tasks is to make sure there are enough clean cups and plates. Your colleague, who is new, is working in the dishwashing area and doing the job well, but working very slowly. There are not many clean plates and cups left and this will mean that customers may have to wait longer for their food.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1) Explain to them why they need to clean the plates quicker showing them how best to do this.
2) Put someone else in there to help out.
3) Suggest that the colleague does a different job.
4) Let your Team Leader know that the colleague is working very slowly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I put 1) is best and 2) is worst as youre wasting human resources?2) is best, bc you’re not wasting even more time by explaining stuff to them/’whining’ to the Team Leader when youre already short of it :/ You said it was worst, but ig that’s why I disagree so

3) is worst, because then they can say you maybe coerced them into it or smth, and wasn’t very accommodating or *nice* but instead u kinda just… told them to go away?? Idk but yeah, to be on the safe side, u might want to avoid them taking anything the wrong way and then making a complaint against u so :/

I don’t think 1) is best because you’re wasting time by explaining it to them, you could perhaps do it later, when it’s less busy. Plus, either way, they’re still going to have to get in the habit of it, and that would take even more time.================================ ================================ =========You are supporting your colleagues on the checkouts at a Sainsbury’s store. As part of this role you try to encourage customers to reuse their bags. Sainsbury’s also offer a range of ‘freezer bags’ and ‘bags for life’ which customers can buy. Bags for life can be replaced if the customer returns one that is torn, or broken A customer complains that their ‘bag for life’ is damaged.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1) Call your Team Leader to explain to the customer what they can do.
2) Apologise and offer them a replacement; remind them what a ‘bag for life’ means.

3) Apologise to the customer; explain they can get a replacement from the customer service desk.
4) Apologise and offer them a replacement; ensure that the damaged bag is recycled.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------‘I put 4) as best and 1) as worst’ – I agree with u for both! 1) is dumb because it’s not exactly, well, a ~hard~ concept and you’ll look a bit thick (). 4) is fine imo, because it accommodates the customer well and isn’t patronising (as I think 2) is tbh,,) and still addresses the whole point of ‘bags for life’ in the first place, nice one dude.================================ ================================ =========You are working on the shop floor at a Sainsbury's store. A customer approaches you and hands you a broken vase that they found on the shelf. The customer explains to you that they would like to buy this type of vase that is not broken and asks if you can check for one in the warehouse. The customer also tells you that there is some broken glass on the floor by the vases.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1) Ask a colleague if they can clear the broken glass and whilst you find a good vase for the customer.
2) Tell the customer that you have no idea how it got broken.
3) Find a good vase for the customer and then clear the broken glass.
4) Tell the customer you will not charge them for breaking the vase.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------‘I put 1) as best for safety/service and 2) is worst’ - Tbh I don’t think there’s any other logical option 3) isn’t as good bc while it addresses the customer, it demonstrates poor prioritising bc. Duh. 4) isn’t good either bc a) they wouldn’t appreciate being accused if it wasn’t them, and is kinda pointless tbh. Youre still not getting them one lol================================ ================================ =========You are working on a nightshift in a Sainsbury's store. Sometimes deliveries arrive at the store during the night. You are re-stocking the shelves in the General Merchandising department. Your Team Leader has asked you to re-stock the iPods, phones and cameras shelf. The box the iPods came in had already been opened. This is strange because stock should come in boxes that are closed.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1) Use the check list in the box to make sure all the iPods are there.
2) Continue to put the stock out and try to reach your replenishment target for the night.
3) Call the Team Leader to assess the situation.
4) Speak to the delivery colleagues when they come in next.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4) is worst – I agree because well, yeah. But I think 3) is best – they’ll know more than you what to do, and if they find out about it anyway they’ll think you’re being complacent and trying to be a know-it-all, not independent. Plus, if you do something wrong, they’ll just get even more annoyed at you. Better to be safe than sorry after all and who knows, they’ll likely already have a set protocol for that which u don’t know about. Idk, that’s just what I think! ================================ ================================ =========You are working in the fruit and vegetable department of a Sainsbury's store. Your task today is to re-stock the fruit and vegetables which are running out. As you walk through the aisle you notice that there are no more bananas left on the shop floor. You check in the warehouse and find a crate of bananas which are very ripe. You check the colour of the bananas against a colour chart which helps you to decide whether they are ok to put onto the shop floor. You find that the bananas are just about ok.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1) Put the bananas out onto shop floor and keep an eye on how they are selling.
2) Put the bananas out for disposal.
3) Ask your Team Leader what you should do.
4) Move the bananas towards the front of the store so that they sell quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2) is worst, yeah, because like, why?? 4) is bad too because it sounds kinda dumb?? No-one’s going to buy it anyway lol. I’m stuck between 3) and 1). I don’t want to say 1) because it could affect business (reputation, or smth, idk) or be called into question when someone asks, but tbh they could just take it home and it’ll ripe there so :/ I was going to 3), again just so you can be sure, and this is a matter of individual judgement, not actual set rules or anything, so at the very least it’ll be ok just to get a second opinion – bonus for someone hopefully more experienced than you. That’s up to you to decide tbh…================================ ================================ =========You are working on the shop floor at a Sainsbury's store. It is coming up to the Christmas holidays and the store is preparing for this busy period. When you pass the customer service desk you see a long queue of customers waiting. There is only one colleague dealing with the queuing customers. At the same time, there is a cashier at the kiosk which is close by.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1) Speak to the customers in the queue to see if you can deal with their queries.
2) Ask the cashier if they are able to help the customers waiting at the customer service desk.
3) Join your colleague at the customer service desk and help resolve the customer queries.
4) As there are not any Customer Service Assistants available; look around the store to see if there is another shop floor colleague who can support at the customer service desk.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I think 4) is worst, because it’s wasting more time since you’ll have go all around the whole store and nriurhefijdhjdsdjsoi nope dude. I agree that 3) is best – not 1), because that could get chaotic and be rly, rly difficult for you possibly – screaming children or whatever?? 2) isn’t the worst because the cashier is at least nearby, and there will be other kiosks if worse comes to worst or whatever…================================ ================================ =========You are working on the shop floor at a Sainsbury's store. You are working in the General Merchandise ‘home and lifestyle’ department of a Sainsbury's store. It is a busy day during Christmas and there are many parents shopping with their children. In the toy section you see a child that is alone and looks lost. You notice the child starts playing with the toys on the shelves. You approach the child and they inform you that they do not know where their parents are.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1) Keep an eye on the child to make sure an adult picks them up.
2) Take the child to the customer service desk and make an announcement to try and find the child’s parent.
3) Let a Team Leader know about the child and wait with the child until they arrive.

4) Take the child to look for their parents.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I agree that 2) is best bc that’s what I’ve always seen happen On a serious note tho, it is bc then they can reach the whole store whatever. They can keep doing it too, in case the parents don’t hear – yknow cos shops are so loud, omg. 4) is worst, because then, if the parents come back looking for their kid, you’ll be somewhere else with them. You might end up in the cereal section when that family lives on toast. Or something.================================ ================================ =========You are working on the shop floor at a Sainsbury's store. Today you are working in the General Merchandise department where there are many customers waiting to be served. Some customers would like information about electronic products and others just want to pay for the products they have chosen. In addition, the phone in the department is ringing.

What is the very best/worst course of action?
1) Serve the customers who are waiting for you and then pick the phone up.
2) Ask for help on the General Merchandise department.
3) Pick up the phone; then see the customers.
4) Try and deal with the telephone query and the customers in front of you at the same time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4) is worst obviously bc not only will you possibly make a critical mistake tryna do everything at the same time (terrible smh), you’ll also look incredibly incompetent – not cool – while doing it. 2) is better than 3) because you won’t let the phone go, but you won’t have to do it at different times too. Plus, it’ll make you looking better for acknowledging and acting on your realistic limits, maturely – instead of being stubborn or whatever – and good team-working/communication skills.

================================ ================================ ========================================= ================================ =========
All in all, you did cool dude. I hope your test goes well when you do it!! Let us know (and gimme the answers? jk)